Wedding Photos of Reception

The following “Reception” images were created by documentary wedding photographers from the WPJA, who regularly submit their best candid moments, artistic portraits, details, and scene setters for review by our WPJA competition judges.

WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS + ARTISTIC PORTRAITS & DETAILS + ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

Some of the “Reception” marriage photography samples below may have come from the getting ready events, the actual wedding ceremony, the reception after-party, an engagement session with the couple, or possibly be artistic portraits or detail shots.

FINE ART WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: Our Artistic Guild award winners take a more creative approach to wedding day Portraits and use their innovative skills to capture the Details of each couple’s special day. The Artistic Guild’s Scene Setters are some of the most notable and breathtaking from within the artistic WPJA contest categories. Playing with light and shadow, special effects, and post-production editing, these images embrace the artistic component of wedding photography.

PRE-WEDDING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: The story of every couple starts long before the wedding day, and the engagement marks one of the most important milestones in their story. Engaged couples often want to celebrate the occasion and announce their upcoming wedding with a photoshoot. Pre-wedding portraits of an engaged couple can be just as moving and compelling as the images taken on the wedding day. Engagement portraits can win a Diamond Award, an exclusive WPJA award whose winner is selected from the best engagement photography in the world.

Toronto wedding venue photography of Kids playing on the carpet of the reception

A genuine wedding moment from Avington Park, Winchester, Hampshire captured by a wedding reportage photographer showing the Father of the bride struggling to find the words during a reception toast under the tent

Hampshire Hampshire wedding reportage FOB Winchester photographer Linus Moran reception wedding moment from Avington Park

A truthful report of raw emotions in a wedding day image captured by a Gard, France documentary wedding photographer showing the bride and groom getting emotional under the reception tent

Lucie Mahé France documentary weddings emotional Gard photographer tent Gard reception

A great wedding day image from a San Francisco venue of dancefloor at the reception

detail San Francisco venue dancing reception San Francisco dance floor CA wedding day

A Philadelphia couple portrait at the Merion Tribute House happened because the Groom had a mobile cigar bar brought in for the reception so photographer took the couple outside and did some cigar smoke shots

Merion Tribute House venue reception Philadelphia groom cigar cigar bar PA couple outside

A top Denver wedding photographer captured this picture of guests dancing at reception

Denver reception Shea McGrath denver wedding photographer dancing guests Colorado

Best Steamboat Springs, Colorado wedding photojournalism picture showing Bride and groom listening to speeches during the reception

listening reception Colorado Steamboat Springs bride and groom Autumn Parry speeches

Best Tyrone, Georgia documentary wedding photography from the Glendalough Manor of the Groom and groomsmen fraternity dance at reception

groom Glendalough Manor Glendalough Manor venue Tyrone GA Georgia documentary wedding photography fraternity dance Tyrone

Tyrone, Georgia wedding reportage photographer captured this moment at the Glendalough Manor of some Reception dancing by the bride

bride Tyrone Glendalough Manor reception Georgia Georgia wedding photographer

Best France wedding photojournalism picture from Chateau de la Flocelliere of the Bride and groom laughing while exiting the reception

Chateau de la Flocelliere France reception France wedding photojournalism Chateau de la Flocelliere venue laughing sparkler exit

Best Fort Collins documentary wedding picture showing a bridesmaid performing a worship dance for the bride and groom during the reception

reception Colorado Mark Creery bride and groom Fort Collins documentary wedding bridesmaid performing

An exceptional Lake Tahoe wedding photojournalism sample by a professional Northern California photographer illustrating Blonde wedding guests dance at the reception

Lake Tahoe dancing California - Northern Northern California photographer wedding guests reception Lake Tahoe wedding photojournalism

Best North Yorkshire documentary wedding photography from the Priory Cottages in the UK as A groomsman plays a fishing game while two guests watch, eating ice creams, during the reception

guests North Yorkshire documentary wedding Patrick Mateer Priory Cottages Priory Cottages wedding eating reception

Best Kastanjehof documentary wedding photojournalism image of the dance party at Chestnut Court

Kastanjehof napkins Chestnut Court venue reception Chestnut Court Sanne De Block Kastanjehof documentary wedding

Best Buitenland wedding photojournalism picture showing a guest enjoying food near the bride and groom

framing eating guest bride and groom Belgium food Buitenland

Best Amhem wedding photojournalism picture from Groot Warnsborn showing that After an incredible wedding the bride and groom are walking through their sparkler exit

outdoors Amhem Groot Warnsborn bride and groom walking reception Groot Warnsborn wedding

Best Scottsdale, AZ documentary wedding photography from Sanctuary Resort showing The newlywed couple slow dances alongside other couples during the reception

AZ wedding photography Arizona couples reception Sanctuary Resort Scottsdale Newlywed couple

Scottsdale, Arizona wedding documentary photographer created this image of the Sanctuary Resort showing The groom tries to take the garter from his bride at the reception

garter arizona wedding photographer reception Brett Butterstein Sanctuary Resort wedding venue Scottsdale AZ

A top San Francisco wedding photographer captured this picture showing It rained so hard during the reception even the ground underneath a massive tent was straight up mud and Here the bride gets help removing her muddy shoes

reception tent California raining san francisco wedding photographer ground wet

France wedding documentary photographer created this image at Manoir de Plainartige - the wedding guests laughing during the reception

wedding guests Manoir de Plainartige France Manoir de Plainartige wedding venue laughing reception

A top London wedding photographer captured this picture of the guests in patterned sunlight during the dinner at the reception

guests London london wedding photographer UK dinner sunlight reception

Best Chicago wedding photojournalism picture from Ovation the bride doing the limbo during the reception

limbo Chicago Chicago wedding photojournalism Illinois IL bride reception

An extraordinary Pau wedding image by a professional France photographer conveying the evening reception Slide show time

France Nouvelle-Aquitaine Pau wedding image evening Pau France photographer

World's top and most original Bordeaux wedding portrait photography at Chateau Giscours using silhouettes of groom and pregnant bride during reception

Bordeaux wedding portrait photography silhouettes groom pregnant bride Château Giscours reception

First class wedding image from Veneto, Italy after a classic ceremony, when the newlyweds throw balloons in the air into the blue sky

Italy Veneto balloons air veneto wedding image blue sky

A top documentary wedding photographer from Paris created this image in BW from the Reception venue showing the Bride with children during reception

Lea Torrieri reception Paris bride french wedding photographer Children France reception venue

A Oxon Hill Manor documentary-style wedding image showing a moment of The bride dancing at her reception with a zip-tie crown

An Oxon Hill Manor documentary-style wedding image showing a moment of The bride dancing at her reception with a zip-tie crown

Johnny Shryock VA Photographers Virginia moment reception Documentary Wedding image Arlington

A Washington DC documentary-style wedding image at the District Winery showing a moment as The groom serenades his bride during the reception

serenades DC Photographers reception DC wedding image Washington Bee Two Sweet District Winery

A top wedding reportage photographer in Berkshire UK captured this picture of the Bride and groom talking happily as they walk, followed by their wedding party, as they all walk to the reception

Berkshire photographer walk Berkshire Berkshire wedding reportage reception talking UK

A top Willsboro wedding photojournalism example from a beautiful New York wedding venue, Willsboro Inn showing The caterer gets the cake ready under the lights for the reception

caterer cake new york wedding venue Willsboro Inn reception Willsboro

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.